Regular Home Maintenance is Key
You LOVE where you live & inspecting your home on a regular basis and following good maintenance practices are the best way to protect your investment in your home. Establish a routine for yourself, and you will find the work is easy to accomplish and not very time-consuming. A regular schedule of seasonal maintenance can put a stop to the most common — and costly — problems, before they occur. If necessary, use a camera to take pictures of anything you might want to share with an expert for advice or to monitor or remind you of a situation later. By following the information noted here, you will learn about protecting your investment and how to help keep your home a safe and healthy place to live. If you do not feel comfortable performing some of the home maintenance tasks listed below, or do not have the necessary equipment, you may want to consider hiring a qualified handy-person.
SUMMER Home Maintenance Checklist
When the sun is out, and warm weather is finally here to stay, home maintenance is the last thing you should worry about. Use our quick summer home maintenance guide to get the hard work out of the way at the beginning of the season.
Don't worry if the weather is already heating up; these tasks are indoors:
Interior Cleaning and Inspection
- Remove lint from your dryer vent.
- Clean kitchen exhaust fan filter.
- Clean refrigerator and freezer coils and empty and clean drip trays.
- Check the dishwasher for leaks.
- Check around kitchen and bathroom cabinets and around toilets for leaks.
- Replace faucet and showerhead washers if needed.
- Seal tile grout.
Monthly Home Improvement Checklist
Inspecting your home and completing monthly home improvement projects will keep your maintenance schedule on track and easier to manage. Follow this comprehensive home maintenance checklist each month to help save time and money:
- Clean the furnace filter to remove dust build-ups, make it easier to regulate your home's temperature, and ultimately decrease energy bills.
- Check the water softener and replenish salt if necessary.
- Clean faucet aerators and showerheads to remove mineral deposits.
- Inspect tub and sink drains for debris; unclog if necessary.
- Test smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and all ground-fault circuit interrupters.
- Inspect electrical cords for wear.
- Vacuum heat registers and heat vents.
- Check that indoor and outdoor air vents are not blocked.
- Flush out hot water from the water heater to remove accumulated sediment.
- Clean the garbage disposal by grinding ice cubes, then flushing with hot water and baking soda.